


At The Summit of Apocrypha

by VideoDame



Series: Signe's Shortstories [6]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Canon game quest, F/M, Miraak is saved instead, Signe cares too much about others
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 07:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14468025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VideoDame/pseuds/VideoDame
Summary: Signe battles Miraak, but it doesn’t end how anyone expected.





	At The Summit of Apocrypha

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a firm follower of “Miraak gave up his humanity for knowledge and is half dragon now” headcanon so fair warning. Again, my fics are un-beta'd, so excuse any errors.  
> I'm sorry if this seems fast-paced.  
> My tumblr is aph-wisconsin, and my art blog is knight-owl-arts!

"And so the First Dragonborn meets the Last Dragonborn at the summit of Apocrypha, no doubt just as Hermaeus Mora intended," Miraak's voice says calmly, with his signature arroganse lining his words.

Signe dismounts from Sahrotaar's neck, and approches the masked man standing behind the pool of strange liquid that seems to be everywhere in Apocrypha. Her hands gripped her Nigtingale bow, arrowed docked, and ready incase the man tried anything. The two stared at each other, but she was unable to judge is reactions due to his damn mask.

Miraak continued, "He is a fickle master, you know. But now I will be free of him. My time in Apocrypha is over. You are here in your full power, and thus subject to my full power. You will die,"

Signe winced, her grip becoming white-knuckled on her bow.

"And with the power of your soul, I will return to Solstheim and be master of my own fate once again," He finishes, and suddenly backs up. Signe does so as well, put on edge by the obvious agression the other was giving off. It wasn't until the other pulled his sword out, did her heart begin to race and all plans of attack were wiped clear from her mind.

" _Kruziikrel! Relonikiv!_ Now!" The man called to the sky, and the two dragons that were watching the two closely lifted off into the air, Sahrotaar following behind them. With mighty roars, they soared in circles above them, like vultures to a corpse. But at this point, perhaps they were.

The Nord woman was so distracted by the dragons that she had forgotten who she was fighting; a sudden blast of electricity to her chest, knocking her back and skidding to a stop at a collumn lining the arena brought her back to reality. A shocked yelp escapes her throat, the electricity making her while body shake all the way to her bones. Great, this asshole uses magic as well. Signe quickly brings herself to her feet, with just enough time before the other could zap her again, and draws an arrow. As fast as lightning, she shoots one, then two, then three.

Miraak was able to dodge the first one, as he was expecting it, but let out a surprised grunt whent he other two lodged themselves into his shoulder. Scoffing, he pulled them out, and continues with his battle.

The two continue as so: Signe launching arrows, and Miraak keeping his distance and sending back burts of electricity spells. Everytime he was on the brink of defeat, he'd call one of his dragons down to devour their soul. The heartless bastard, using the souls of dragons who were nothing but loyal to him, all so he could heal himself and start this cycle over again.  
  
"It's no use, Dragonborn. I have ultimate power here!" He yells as another dragon soul was absorbed, his ego deciding to show again.

Signe grits her teeth, "You have no power if you have no honor! Without honor, you are the weakest there is!"

It wasn't until Signe reaches back to pull another arrow, did she realize she was out. Muttering curses under her breath, she sets the bow back on her back and pulls out her great sword. With a frusterated cry, she books it towards Miraak, sword positioned to land a devestating swipe. Miraak visably stutters, quickly lifting his own strange blade to block her attack.

Their swords met, and as the two struggled to gain power to push the other back, Miraak spoke.

"Hermaeus Mora is laughing at us, you know," he grunts, his grip strong.

Signe scoffs, "Then let's give him a show."

As soon as her comment was said, she raises her foot and lands a clean blow to the others crotch.

Miraak gives a pained grunt, stumbling back, trying to regain his composure, "Unfair!" He calls in his moment of weakness.

"Aw, I'm sorry, I didn't know we were using playground rules," Signe calls back mockingly, taking the moment to swipe her greatsword at the other.

The man takes the blow, the force knocking him to the ground. Blood seeps through his robes, and he looks up to the sky at his last remaining dragon. Sahrotaar.

" _Sahrotaar!_ _Ziil los dii du_!" He calls, the same call he said to the other dragons before he consumed their soul.

Signe panics, quickly attempting to swipe her greatsword at the injured man. Sahrotaar had helped her get this far, the dragon did not deserve to die at the hands of the man who didn't have an ounce of empathy in his body.

"No, don't you dare!" She cries, her sword blocked again when Miraak was able to muster enough strength to raise it, "Don't you dare take another soul!"

"I'll do as I please," the man says lowly, raising his masked face closer to hers, "It's just a dragon, why should you care? You're dragonborn, you're meant to kill them!"

"Sahrotaar has done nothing but help you! And this is how you decide he dies?" the woman shouts at him, just as Sahrotaar gives a final roar.

The Serpentine dragon lands next to the fighting couple, and the second his feet touch the ground, the dragon cries out in pain. Miraaks power has taken him the moment he called out those words. Sahrotaar falls limply to the floor, his soul being ripped from his body, and seeping into Miraaks.

"NO!" Signe cries, watching the only friend she had in Apocrypha die to aid her enemy.

A sinister laugh bubbles from below her, and she'd suddenly kicked away from the man. Miraak's wound was healed from the power of the soul, and his energy was restored. Signe scrambles up, sowrd raised, and breathing excessively from strain.

Miraak twirls his sword, his ego returning now that his strength returned, "Ah, so easily attached to those that show you the slightest hint of kindness, hm? That will be your downfall, Dragonborn."

Signe glares at the man in front of her, her white knuckled grip returning as her heart speeds up again. Nothing but anger filled her at that moment, and it showed.

"Take of the mask." She demands, her voice deep and commanding.

This confused the other, "What?"

"Take. Of. The mask. I want to see the face of the man I'll be beating to death."

Miraak lets out a bark of laughter, shaking his head, "Ha! That is a privilage I shall never grant you willingly."

The woman snorts, rolling her shoulders in preperation of battle, "Then I guess I'll have to do it myself." And with that, she runs to the other, sword raised in a blocking position.

The two Nords fought in close combat for what felt like hours, neither being able to land a solid blow on each other. It wasn't until Signe got fed up with the pace of things did she take a wild, stupid chance. With one hand gripping the sword and pushing against the strength of Miraak, she takes her other hand and grips the edge of his mask.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" He shouts, trying to pull away.

In his struggle, Signe manages to remove both the mask and the fabric cowl attacked to it. The man stumbles away, facing away fromt he woman. From here, she's able to see the other has dark, almost black hair, combed over to his right side. On the left side of his head, however, looks almsot to be burn scars. This made her even more curious.

Signe has had enough of his hiding. "Look at me," she demands, voice low.

The man doesn't turn around.

"I SAID LOOK AT ME." She shouts, nearly as loud as her Th'uum.

After a long silence, Miraak finally turned to look at her. Signe has to hold back a shocked gasp.

The right side of his face was normal; a scruffy jaw, knitted eyebrow, and a deep green eye. His hair framed this half of his face, some of it falling to cover it. The other half of his face, however, is what shocked her.

What she believed to be burn scars, were actually scales. The entire left side of his face was what looked to be reptillian; a gold, slitted eye, hair being unable to grow from how the scales reached up like cracks in stone to the top of head and under his robes. It was soemthing Signe had never seen before, and something she never thought she would.

Their eyes meet, and she could swear she felt electricity between them; as strong as the spell Miraak had been casting against her this whole time. She could see into his very soul, and within the span of seconds, its as if she could feel his emotions and intent as well. She'd call it cliche, had it not been true. The both of them were paralyzed, eyes locked onto each other.

"...We don't have to do this," Signe finally says, breaking the silence.

Miraak scoffs, "This is the only way, Dragonborn. The only way I can be free."

The Nord woman shakes her head, sword lowering til the tip rested on the ground. "But it doesn't," she began, "I've read about you, I know your past, I know your story. You don't want to be here. You don't want to be the slave to Hermaeus Mora. And after looking into your soul, you don't want power over Skyrim anymore."

The Nord man listens to her words, and finally Signe is able to see his reactions. His shoulders dropped, battle stance gone, and his eyes lowered to the ground.

"I...I just want to return to earth. I want to feel mortal again," he admits, voice cracking.

Signe, curse her kind heart, takes a few steps forward from the large space between them. "I can help you," she says softly, "I can connect our souls, I can lead you out of this place, I'll do whatever it takes. I'm not Hermaeus Mora, you can trust me." At her words, Miraak looks up again. Signe could just barely see the hint of hope in his eyes.

"Ah, a wise decision. It's too bad I'll have to break this moment," calls a deep, rumbling voice from above them. Hermaeus Mora. Damn, she had forgotten he was watching the whole time.

From the pool of strange liquid behind Miraak, one of Mora's signature tentacles rises from its depths, and makes a straight shot for the Nord man. It was going to impale and kill him.

"NO!" Signe cries, and with newfound energy, she sprints to the aid of Miraak. Suddenly, everything seemed to go in slow motion.

She nearly slid as she came to the side of Miraak, her bosy twisting with force as she swings her greatsword just in time to slice the appendage before it could touch the other man. A loud cry of pain erupted above them, and the Daedric Prince's eyes finally appeared in the air. Signe blocks Miraak with her body, sword raised, ready to strike again.

"Damn you, mortal! The kindness in your scorched heart will truly be your downfall," Hermaeus Mora's voice rumbles from above, "But, for the show you have performed for me today, I shall spare the both of you. I believe watching you two suffer together, is worth more than having a champion for myself. But be warned, I will not make your lives easy."

Signe was out of breath, panting heavily. Miraak quickly took his discarded mask and positioned it on his head again. Both were waiting for the Daedric Prince's next move.

Two appendages shoot out from the same strange waters and capture them before the two has time to escape. In the blink of an eye, they were pulled down into the murkey depths, and just kept sinking.

Just has the two couldn't hold their breaths any longer, the waters break away into open air, and the two let out shocked yelps as they begin free falling. They crash into the snow on the ground, and Signe quickly gains composure. Looking around, she realizes they're back on Earth, and she could see the lights of the Skaal village only less than a mile away.

She was free. And better yet, she was able to save a life, rather than end one this time.

**Author's Note:**

> If by chance anyone wants to see more, I'm always taking fic ideas/suggestions! Comment or contact me on tumblr!


End file.
